How to Lower a Car With Coilovers

Written by alexander eliot

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Lowering your car on an aftermarket coilover set will give it a sporty, ground-hugging appearance. Coilover suspensions can also greatly improve your car's handling characteristics by lowering its centre of gravity and offering increased shock dampening over the stock suspension. Numerous manufacturers offer aftermarket coilover kits for virtually every vehicle make and model. This allows for a direct replacement of the stock suspension with no other vehicle modifications needed.

Skill level:

Moderately Challenging

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Things you need

Coilover kit

Collar wrenches

Floor jack

Jack stands

Socket wrench

Socket set

Screwdriver set

Tape measure

Zip ties

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Instructions

1

Park your car on perfectly level, solid ground. Raise each side of your vehicle with a floor jack and support all four corners of the chassis on jack stands. Use a socket wrench to remove the lug bolts from the wheels and lift off the stock wheels.

2

Remove any external components connected to the front shocks, such as brake line brackets and camber plates. Use a socket wrench to disconnect the lower fork mount on the shock. Generally, the lower mount is connected to the suspension's control arm with a single bolt. Remove the upper mounting bolts on the front shocks -- these bolts are located on the top of the shock towers in the engine bay. Remove the front shock and spring unit.

3

Remove any external components connected to the rear shocks. Unfasten the rear lower-shock mounting bolts from the rear-suspension control arms. Remove the upper mounting bolts from the rear shock towers, accessible through the boot or hatch of your vehicle. Remove the rear shock and spring unit.

4

Set the height of your aftermarket coilovers. To adjust height, loosen the lower shock adjustment collar with the supplied collar wrenches. Thread the lower shock body into the upper body, decreasing the overall length of the shock construction. The shorter the length, the greater the reduction will be in ride height for your vehicle. When the desired shock length is achieved, lock the lower shock body into place by tightening the lower collar. Repeat this process for the other three coilovers, ensuring that you set all shocks equal in height. Some aftermarket coilovers may also allow for dampening adjustment, generally via a numerical knob on top of the coilover unit.

5

Install the coilovers in place of the stock shock and spring units by repeating the removal procedure in reverse. Ensure that all stock bolts and components are reconnected and secured. If your coilovers lack the required brake line bracket, secure the brake line to the shock body with a zip tie. Alternatively, some aftermarket coilovers allow for installation of the stock brake line brackets.

6

Reinstall the wheels and lug bolts. Remove the jack stands and lower your vehicle to the ground. Allow the coilover springs to settle after several days of driving and then take your car to a performance alignment shop to have the tires realigned to factory spec. This is necessary due to the lowered coilovers altering the camber and toe angles of the suspension system.